RiteCare Center for Communication Disorders

The RiteCare Center at Armstrong is located at the Armstrong Center. The RiteCare Center is supported by an annual contribution from the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Savannah Valley in keeping with the national philanthropic program of the Scottish Rite Masons to support speech and hearing clinics. The Center has several programs that provide students with clinical experience with individuals who have a wide variety of communication disorders. Supervision is provided by CSDS program faculty, all of whom are certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed by the State Board of Examiners in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology.

Today there are 178 RiteCare clinics, centers, and special programs operating or planned and located throughout the United States. Each facility is staffed by speech language pathologists. Through the support of Scottish Rite members, these clinics, centers, and programs continue to increase. The value of this philanthropy has long been apparent. Tens of thousands of children across the United States have been helped significantly. With the good work of dedicated clinicians and parents, the Scottish Rite has achieved successes that could only be imagined a few years back. Children who might have remained educationally behind for a lifetime can now talk, read, and lead productive lives.

The clinic population covers the lifespan. Assessments and intervention are available for those with delays or disorders in hearing, language, fluency, voice, articulation, and phonology, including those with severe speech impairments requiring augementative and alternative communication. Communication impairments may result from developmental delays, congenital disabilities such as mental retardation, hearing impairment, autism, cerebral palsy, and/or acquired disabilities such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Speech and Language Assessment

Many of the referrals to the RiteCare Center at Armstrong come from clients themselves, but can also be initiated by family members, health care providers, schools, speech language pathologists or other professionals. If you are interested in an assessment and/or therapy, or if you have questions about any of the programs please contact the clinic at 912.344.2735 or 912.344.2969.

Speech, Language, and Hearing Programs

Child Therapy Program

The Child Therapy Program provides services to preschool and school-age children who have delays or disordrs in language, fluency, voice, articulation, and phonology, including those with severe speech impairments requiring augmentative and alternative communication.

Adult Therapy Program

The Adult Therapy Program provides services to adults (18 years or older) with a variety of speech and language disorders. The adults in the program are from the local geographic area.

Disorders and Populations Served

Some of the disorders and populations we serve at the RiteCare Center include:

Accent Modfication. An SLP can provide services to speakers who want to modify or reduce an accent.

Articulation Disorders. SLPs can assist with atypical productions of speech sounds, such as substitutions, omissions, additions, or distortions that may interfere with intellibility.

Fluency disorders. SLPs can assist with the interruptions in the flow of speaking or stuttering. A fluency disorder may be characterized by atypical rate and rhythm as well as repetitions in sounds and syllables.

Voice/resonance disorders. SLPs can assist clients with disorders which affect vocal quality, pitch, loudness, and resonance. Individuals with voice disorders may have a voice that sounds hypernasal, hyponasal, hoarse, or breathy.

Language disorders. SLPs can assist individuals who have impairments of spoken and/or written language.

Hearing Screening and Aural Rehabilitation

Our hearing programs include hearing screening at area elementary schools, community events, and in the clinic. We offer auditory processing and aural rehabilitation services for children and adults.

Individually tailored plans

Individual plans can help with skills in the following areas:

Social communication

Group social interaction

Pragmatic language

Behavior management

Conversing effectively

Asking and answering questions

Play skills

Speech

Stuttering

Using age-appropriate sounds

Lisping

Nasality

Clarity of speech

Language

Word retrieval

Verbal problem solving

Reasoning

Literacy

Bilingualism

Following directions

Using and understanding grammar

Augmentative and alternative communication

Hearing

Screening

Auditory Processing

Aural Rehabilitation

Cognition

Critical thinking skills

Attention

Memory (long-term and short term)

Verbal and non-verbal sequencing of daily tasks

Planning and goal setting

Fees: We charge a nominal fee to our clients to help defray our operating costs. The fee is $100/semester for a full semester of services. This fee is pro-rated at $10 per week when applicable. The fee for an evaluation only (with no subsequent intervention sessions) is $50. Armstrong full-time faculty and staff members and students, as well as dependents of full-time Armstrong faculty and staff members and students, receive services at no charge. Clients who are unable to pay the fee in full are directed to the Clinical Supervisor and/or Clinic Coordinator in order to make arrangements.